Clueless
by dragonflydreams
Summary: Naruto wasn't clueless when it came to Hinata. He just didn't feel the same. But would he be able to avoid all of christmas? The answer is no. NaruHina, minor ShikaTema and NejiTenten, implied SasuIno.


Clueless

Naruto wasn't an idiot. He saw the glances that she always gave him during the academy, and the blushes she had whenever he was around. But the simple fact was that the whiskered blonde didn't like Hinata in a romantic way. So he had done the cowardly thing, and ignored her. He chose not to ever confront her, and pretended that everything was normal. And it worked. Hinata never built up the confidence to confess. And she probably never would. But if she ever did, Naruto didn't know what he would do. Downright reject her? Stay silent? Give in to a few sympathy dates? No, it was just easier to ignore the problem at hand. So he stayed her friend, but made sure to never get too close to her. On Valentine's Day, he would avoid her at all costs. On his birthday, he would be sure to celebrate with as many people as he could, and made sure that he wouldn't be alone with her. And on her birthday, she would be too busy with her own family and friends anyway.

However, Christmas was the trickiest to deal with. It became tradition for the rookie nine to celebrate the festive holiday at Ino's house. And whenever Naruto went, it seemed it was him against everyone else. Everybody tried to get Naruto and Hinata under those oh-so-innocent mistletoes. Every year, Shino would "accidently" bump into him, or Chouji would "accidently" trip him, but each time Naruto would instantly recover before he was knocked under that damn plant. And of course, he had to pretend that he was the clumsy one, and that he had no idea what their motives were. After all, if they knew that _he_ knew, things would get too complicated.

The gift giving was the worst. It was "supposed" to be secret santa, but as if by some form of magic (Damn you Ino!) Hinata always seemed to get Naruto's name, and vice versa. And every year, Naruto always had to figure out what to get her. If he got her something too cheap, it would seem mean compared to Hinata's extraordinary present. But if he got something too expensive, she would get hopeful. In the past, Naruto had gotten away with giving a potted plant, a book, and a stuffed animal. None of those seemed too special until Naruto found out that Hinata read that book every day, took extreme care of the plant, and hugged the stuffed animal at night before she went to sleep. Of course, Hinata's gifts were always over the top. One time, she had hand carved a bowl and personalized chopsticks for him. There were intricate designs on it, and etchings of noodles…she had somehow made ramen look epic. Another year, she had made him clothes that resembled that of the Fourth's…his father. It fit him perfectly, and felt heavenly to wear. Naruto was always stunned by the gift, but masked it with excitement, and was always sure to mention what a great _friend_ Hinata was. And then he'd be quick to start asking other people what they got, before Hinata could say anything.

This Christmas, Naruto walked with Sasuke to Ino's house, gift in hand. He had bought her a set of kunai and senbon. It was a neutral gift that any shinobi would appreciate. Nothing special at all.

"So what did you get Hinata this year?" Sasuke smirked.

Naruto glared at him. "How do you know I got Hinata? Its supposed to be secret santa, _remember_?"

"Riiiiigt. I'm just saying though, if _somehow_ you were to get Hinata again for the fifth time in a row, what would that gift be?" Sasuke wasn't even going to pretend that this wasn't fixed.

"Just a bunch of weapons."

"Hmmm. Doesn't seem that special. What a shame."

"Who did you get?"

"…Ino…" Naruto laughed. At least Sasuke-bastard got Ino again! Rigged indeed.

"And what did you get her?"

"I figured that this year, a mutilated puppy carcass would get the message across"

Naruto hoped Sasuke was joking.

* * *

When they arrived, Naruto was sure to go in through the second floor guest room balcony. He was positive that the mistletoes covered both the front and back door, and he really didn't want to risk Hinata being at either one of those. Sasuke did the same, to avoid Ino and Sakura. When they went into the room, Naruto saw Shikamaru leaning on the wall. "Oh don't mind me. Just out for a smoke." Naruto looked suspiciously at the genius before quickly exiting. OK, no sign of Hinata yet. The two went down the stairs, where they spotted both Ino and Hinata near the backdoor, talking in hushed voices. Ino had a devious look on her, while Hinata was muttering something and blushing deeply. And at the back door was (surprise surprise) a mistletoe, hanging innocently. Sneaking in through the balcony was a good call.

"Hey! If it isn't Naruto, my good friend!" Kankuro's booming voice brought everyone's attention to the nervous blonde.

And of course, Sasuke disappeared.

"Ah hah, I didn't even know we were that close" He frantically looked around the house for all those damn kissing plants. He quickly spotted one between him and….an approaching Hinata. "Well it was good catching up, but I uh…have to use the bathroom."

"Nonsense! The party's just getting started! Gimme a hug!"

Before Naruto could move, he was swept up in a giant bear hug. THIS WAS DEFINITELY A TRAP! Hinata's petite form was getting closer and Kankuro was not letting go anytime soon. Sweat started developing on Naruto's temples, when he got an idea.

"…what was that noise just now?"

"….I might have just farted…"

"UGH!" Kankuro let go of Naruto before coughing hysterically, and Naruto took the opportunity to make a mad dash for the bathroom. That was close. Too close.

* * *

Naruto barely escaped three more attempts on his life (or rather, lips) before everyone went to the living room to exchange gifts. There weren't any mistletoe around, but Naruto was still edgy. He jumped when Sasuke suddenly appeared again, seemingly out of nowhere. "OK guys" said Ino, "Time for PRESENTS!!"

The first to go were the sand siblings. Gaara handed Shino an ant farm. A red ant farm. With sand in it. Lots and lots of sand. Shino was a bit nervous about taking the gift, since the unusual amount of sand and dangerously red ants made him think that Gaara was trying to send some type of murderous message towards him. But alas, it was Christmas, so he accepted it anyway.

Kankuro had made a doll that resembled a dog. He also gave Kiba a small guide he wrote on how to operate it, and said that he hoped both him and Akamaru would enjoy their new toy. Of course, the doll was also filled with various poison weapons, in case Kiba ever wanted to use it as a weapon. There were instructions for that too.

Temari had gotten Shikamaru (SO FREAKING RIGGED). She bought him a small, unique fountain that resembled a collection of clouds in the sky, where the water came from. The fountain also generated mist…it was strangely peaceful. Shikamaru tried his best to maintain his bored expression, but everyone saw how much he liked it.

After them were Gai's team. Rock Lee enthusiastically read a poem to Sakura in preparation of his gift. She was needless to say, very embarrassed, and yelled at Rock Lee to shut up and just give her a gift, while Ino was snickering to herself. After finishing his heartfelt poem, he gave Sakura her gift; a necklace that had sakura petal designs at the end. Sakura begrudgingly admitted that she liked the gift.

Tenten had gotten her boyfriend Neji a very expensive looking dragon model, with pearls for eyes. The dragon had its wings spread wide, so it could soar through the air. The weapon expert clearly put a lot of thought into the present. Neji accepted it with a blush, before handing Tenten her gift, along with an apology. She opened the box and pulled out red furry handcuffs and a leash with a green furry collar at the end. Clearly, Neji had put a different kind of thought into his present. Tenten quickly looked away with red cheeks and an embarrassed smile while saying thank you. She also muttered something about using it later that night, though only Neji heard.

Chouji had really no idea what to get kankuro, so he ended up buying a Kabuki paint set for him. Kankuro said it would have been a wonderful gift if he didn't already have one, but he appreciated it nonetheless.

Ino had somehow miraculously gotten Sasuke(-_-) as her person, and hand made a festive plant arrangement. She even snuck in a few baby tomatoes into it, both green and red. Sasuke gave a nod of appreciation, which caused Ino to shout in excitement, and Sakura to twitch her eyes.

Shikamaru ended up making a black fan for Temari. It was a small one, to serve as an accessory instead of a weapon. He also bought her a matching black dress. It was really hard for Shikamaru to maintain his stoic image when Temari kissed him on the cheek.

Kiba, with Hinata's advice, had gotten Gaara a snow globe. It was a simple gift, but the sand controlling ninja was fascinated by the specks of white floating around inside. Try as he might, Gaara just wasn't able to command the movements of what was inside. Not that he wouldn't keep trying. He spent the rest of the night attempting to move the snow with his will.

Shino had gotten Chouji special made hanafuda cards. On the back of each card was a special design of a butterfly. Shino had said it was meant not only for him, but for Shikamaru and Ino as well. Chouji didn't quite understand the reference, but appreciated it nonetheless.

When it was Hinata's turn she unveiled a large painting she had made. It was a collage with Naruto in the center, and all those he influenced. A painted portrait of Sasuke, and one of Iruka, were the closest to Naruto. Everybody in Konoha, as well as the sand siblings, and many others were included into the picture. It was simply magnificent. Naruto couldn't help but be breath taken.

Lastly was team seven. Sakura had bought Lee a decent set of clothes. Ones that were neither green, nor turtlenecks, nor anything that was relatively alike to either. She also bought hair gel for him. Rock Lee was extremely grateful, as was everybody else.

As it turned out, Sasuke was just kidding about the whole mutilated carcass thing. But he did end up getting a cute puppy for Ino. Tears of joy could be seen in Ino's eyes, as well as a green monster in Sakura's. Ino was quick to name the puppy Sasuke. Sasuke insisted that its name was "mutt".

* * *

Now, after all the gifts were exchanged, it was finally Naruto's turn. He started feeling nervous as everyone's eyes were focused on the box in his hand, especially those pearl white ones. Everyone's gifts had been so thoughtful and personal, that Naruto started second guessing his present. Weapons really were the most generic gift he could think of…..would Hinata be really upset when she opened it? No! It was too late to back out now. Besides, it was better to get her something lame than something with even the slightest bit of an implication. Naruto confidently handed her the gift.

Hinata took the haphazardly decorated box of blue and orange wrapping paper, with hopeful eyes. In one swift but graceful pull, she undid the ribbon that tied it down. With great effort she unwrapped the present, slowly unfolding the paper, clearly taking special care to not rip it. The box was plain and white, with a black cover. Naruto studied her face. She opened the gift…and then dropped the box. Her eyes met Naruto's and her cheeks turned deep scarlet. The people behind Hinata started to smile, and their eyes twinkled. This was not the reaction Naruto expected. This was not the reaction he expected at all. With a hint of confusion, Naruto picked up the box and peered inside, to find a sprig of mistletoe. _ Oh Shi- _Naruto suddenly felt a light body tackle him and something moist pressing on his lips.

Amidst the sudden outburst of cheers, clapping and wolf whistles, Sasuke was leaning with one foot on the wall in the back. He looked at a defeated Naruto being glomped by an eager Hinata. The Uchiha smiled, glanced down a pocket, took out a brand new Kunai, and starting spinning it. _Not a bad Christmas at all._


End file.
